Friday May 19, 2017

The FCC’s 2-1 vote yesterday means that the repeal process for net neutrality is under way. While the chairman claims that this is not the end, as he will continue to take comments until the final vote some months from now, the opposition believes he has already made up his mind that Title II hampers internet freedoms and lowers investment in broadband networks. Protesters have pointed out, among myriad things, that dropping these rules would result in a loss of consumer protection policies that include filing complaints about an ISP’s "unjust" or "unreasonable" conduct.

The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) proposes eliminating the Title II classification and seeks comment on what, if anything, should replace the current net neutrality rules. But Chairman Ajit Pai is making no promises about reinstating the two-year-old net neutrality rules that forbid ISPs from blocking or throttling lawful Internet content or prioritizing content in exchange for payment. Pai's proposal argues that throttling websites and applications might somehow help Internet users. Throttling of websites and online services might help customers, The FCC plans to take comments on its plan until August 16 and then make a final decision sometime after that.